Happy Birthday Anil Kapoor

December 24 marks the birthday of one of the most globally recognizable Indian actors today. Anil Kapoor turns 57 today (yes really!) and today, is one of the finest actors in Bollywood.

A career spanning 35 years, he made his debut in 1979 with a small role in 'Hamare Tumhare'. He is the man who made the Tapori look cool in films. A trendsetter in many ways, he became a star in the 1980s with films like Woh Saat Din, Meri Jung, Karma, Jaanbaaz, Tezaab,Ram Lakhan, Parinda and Mr. India. In the 1990s, he further solidified his status with films like Beta, Lamhe, Kishen Kanhaiya, 1942: A Love Story, Judaai, Deewana Mastana and Biwi No.1. Arguably, his best role came in 1997's Virasat, for which he received rave reviews. Pukar, which released in the year 2000, won him a National Award. After that, he has been appreciated in films like Chocolate, Welcome, Nayak, Race, Musafir, No Entry, Armaan, Race 2 and Shootout at Wadala.

He received global acclaim when he featured in Slumdog Millionaire, which went on to win 8 Oscars! He even featured in hit American tv show '24' with Kiefer Sutherland and his role was much appreciated. A cameo appearance in the Tom Cruise-starrer Mission Impossible: Ghost Protocol came calling in the year 2011 too. Anil Kapoor also remade '24' for India which was highly appreciated for its never-seen-before concept and production values for a tv show in India.

His pipeline for 2015 includes the second season of 24, Zoya Akhtar's multi-starrer Dil Dhadakne Do and Welcome Back. He has also reportedly brought the rights to another popular American tv show 'Modern Family'.